News

The City of Naperville, Illinois, and Verde Energy USA, an independent retail power supplier and energy solutions provider, announced today the successful installation of an Ice Energy IceBear™ unit at Naperville’s Water Service Center, located at 1200 W. Ogden Ave. The IceBearTM clean energy storage system, installed at no cost to Naperville, allows the City to more efficiently and effectively utilize air conditioning and upgrades aging infrastructure at this location.

“This technology allows us to conserve precious natural resources through a unique partnership,” Naperville Mayor A. George Pradel said. “The IceBear only further enhances Naperville’s continued commitment to environmental sustainability, and we look forward to seeing the benefits from this system during the warm summer months.”

Ice Energy’s IceBear™ replaces conventional condensing units in a typical building cooling system and shifts the air conditioning electrical power demand to off-peak hours by using water to make ice at night, when the electric grid is generally unstressed. Then, during a hot summer day, when demand goes up and electric prices may be higher, the melting ice provides the cooling that otherwise would have to come from the air conditioner’s compressor. The melted water is then recycled through the system when the process begins again the following night. The result is lower energy costs and increased electric grid reliability. For more information on the Ice Bear, including how the system operates, please view the Ice Bear video available on the City’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBYnhdirrl0.

“The installation of the Ice Bear unit at Naperville’s Water Service Center marks the next phase in our Energy Storage Solutions Partnership with Naperville,” Thomas FitzGerald, Chief Executive Officer of Verde Energy USA, said. “Given the strong track record of this technology, we expect that the project will demonstrate the same environmental and cost benefit potential to Naperville as it has done previously in so many other U.S. cities.”Last December, Naperville and Verde announced their clean energy efficiency partnership, which focuses on producing greater energy efficiency and generating cost savings in the City’s air conditioning use. During the project, which runs throughout 2013, Naperville and Verde will collect data and share results on the performance of the system.

For more information on the City of Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us. Sign up to receive the latest news on the City of Naperville’s projects and initiatives via email at www.naperville.il.us/enews.aspx. For more information on Verde Energy USA, visit www.verdeenergyusa.com.